Delight Flower Farm: From Backyard Blooms to Prairie Oasis
Founded by first-generation farmer Maggie Taylor, Delight Flower Farm pairs thoughtful commercial flower production with inviting, hands-on experiences—encouraging visitors to explore the many ways flowers and herbs can enrich their lives beyond the vase.
Farm History
Maggie Taylor is a first-generation farmer and the owner-operator of Delight Flower Farm. What began as a “little backyard project” in 2011—when she was living in cooperative housing in Urbana—has grown into a thriving organic flower farm. At the time, Maggie was working as a reference librarian, spending long days in front of a computer and craving time to put “her hands in the dirt and her face in the sunshine.” In those early days, she ran a seven-member CSA and delivered flowers on her bicycle. In 2015, she completed a beginning farmer training course hosted at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery in Champaign, took on a business partner, and relocated her budding flower operation to rented land there. Over the next several years, she and her partners gradually expanded both acreage and offerings. And in 2019, Maggie took the leap and purchased her own farm. Located in southwest Champaign County and surrounded by cash-grain fields, her land has become a lush, vibrant oasis of multi-sensory floral delights!
Maggie grew up in a military family and spent her formative years in western Nebraska, surrounded by agriculture. Although her family didn't farm, something about being on the land took hold early. Combined with her love of flowers and their ability to bring people joy, it ultimately compelled her to start growing blooms for others. By 2017, the farm was successful enough for Maggie to quit her day job as a librarian and dedicate herself 100% to Delight Flower Farm. Today, roughly 50% of her flowers are sold directly to the public, with the remaining half sold to florists, grocery stores, and other retail outlets.
Beyond the Bouquet
In addition to its seasonal flower CSA (community supported agriculture—a subscription for weekly bouquets), Delight Flower Farm offers a calendar of events, workshops, and classes both on and off the farm. The season begins with a spring plant sale, followed by host a summer workshops such as natural dye making from flowers, herbal tincture making, and cake decorating with fresh blooms. The farm also hosts a handful of seasonal dinners. Fall brings a bulb sale, while November and December are filled with wreath-making workshops. Throughout the growing season, the farm offers guided tours and welcomes group visits. An “Artist in Residence” invites creatives to work on-site and share their art with visitors. The honor-system farmstand features fresh bouquets, value-added products, farm eggs, and goods from other local farms.
Rooted in Passion
Nature is Maggie's greatest teacher and inspiration. She's deeply humbled by it, continually learning—especially during turbulent times.
Flowers, in particular, are meant to bring joy and comfort. “If you think about the pivotal moments in your life, probably flowers were a part of that—when a baby's born, when someone gets married, when someone dies, you know, when you get in an argument and you need to say sorry, or you're really celebrating love, or when there are no words to capture your feelings.” Maggie also mentions that in the United States, about 85% of flowers sold here are imported, often with no oversight regarding pesticide use, accountability for transportation costs, and overall carbon footprint. Delight Flower Farm uses organic production practices and operates hyper-locally, so customers can feel confident about the quality, safety, and sustainability of the flowers they buy.
Favorite Things to Share
Maggie loves showcasing the diversity and beauty that she and her team have cultivated—but she also wants visitors to understand the hard work, planning, and intentionality that goes into small-scale commercial flower production. She doesn’t shy away from her struggles, from finding the right people to work at the farm to navigating the H2A visa foreign labor program. She highlights examples of real-time problem-solving in the field, such as covering dahlia blooms during invasions of minute pirate bugs or corn rootworm larvae. She candidly explains why her flowers cost more than typical grocery-store flowers, whether it's due to carefully timed cultivars for specific holidays or relying on greenhouse production to jumpstart the spring tulip season. She gently educates her customers and guests while dazzling them with beauty.
Unique Aspects
Guests get to meet the faces behind the flowers and ask as many questions as they like. Gardening groups often visit, where they can ask very specific production questions and get detailed, practical tips and advice. Because the farm is organic, Maggie and her team can share non-chemical ways to deal with pests and diseases.
Workshops are capped at 20–30 guests, creating an intimate, hands-on experience. Maggie likens them to old-fashioned quilt-making gatherings—a way for people to connect with fellow community members, meet new people, or spend a fun afternoon with family or friends while focused on a specific task. The farm itself feels like an island of beauty in a sea of corn and soybeans, blending commercial flower production with meaningful human connection.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, Maggie hopes to focus on what the farm already does well—and do it even better. That includes seasonal plant and bulb sales, workshops, group tours, and expanding offerings at the farmstand. Her hope is that more people will make Delight Flower Farm a regular destination throughout the season.
CU on the Farm!
Sign up for our CU on the Farm Experience Pass and visit Delight Flower Farm (along with 15+ Champaign-Urbana area farms)!